Harvest Moon: Saving the Harvest Sprites
by Akari Hoshizora
Summary: Years ago the Harvest Goddess and a human had twins, but she had to leave. Now the Harvest Sprites are being replaced by evil Sprites, so the twins must travel to five places to save them while dealing with their dad's death and Celestial Being heritage.
1. Chapter 1: The Farmer's Story

Harvest Moon: Saving the Harvest Sprites

**Part 1: Moon Island**

_.::. Chapter 1 ~ The Farmer's Story .::._

"_Years ago, the Harvest Goddess protected a small island called Moon Island. In the center was an area full of buildings the residents called Tide Town, where they spent their time chatting or shopping. After a while, it became boring to the Harvest Goddess, though, as she memorized the routines of each individual villager. They needed something new, she thought. So she went to see the Harvest Lord, and surprisingly, he agreed. So one day, they used their powers to destroy a boulder blocking a large plot of land to see their reaction. The villagers explored it, and decided to make a farm there. But where would they find a farmer for this land? Finally they sent a letter to a former resident who had moved to a big city to offer him the job. Two weeks later they got a reply from his family that he had died of an illness. However, his son was willing to work on the farm so he could finally see where his father had lived and told him about._

_Now, the Harvest Goddess and Harvest Lord were pleased by this idea, so they created a house in a corner of the land no one had checked yet. To make sure the villagers did not think it had a resident in it, they made it look old and empty, even adding dusty furniture. When the villagers came over to look for a good place to build a house, they were please to find it, and sent word to the villager's family that they would be ready for him in four weeks. Then they set to work on cleaning the house and building a barn. The Harvest Lord was especially pleased by this idea, but decided not to do anything else for them. After all, they were not supposed to let the villagers know they were actually there; the villagers knew they existed, but having that knowledge might make them overwhelm the two celestial beings with requests. So he sent the Harvest Goddess back to her pond until the new farmer arrived._

_Finally the farm was ready. The villagers stood on the pier eagerly, but they realized it could hurt the boy's first impression of them, so some went home while others stayed. The Harvest Goddess was becoming more and more curious, too, so she hid by the pier to see his arrival. And when the boat arrived, what she saw she could not believe. A boy walked onto the pier and was greeted by the villagers warmly. He had an average human body, but his heart was the first thing she saw. There was no evil in it, only good. Sure, he was a little clumsy (he tripped walking off the pier, but he didn't act all embarrassed or something like that), and he wasn't too social. In his field on that first day he figured out he needed some practice with a hoe (and sickle, and axe, and watering can, and hammer, and fishing rod), but he didn't let that get him down. He was always optimistic, and it struck the Harvest Goddess with feelings she didn't understand, but she liked it._

_One day after he got there, he took a break from the farm work to go look around. But before he reached Tide Town, he became worried. What would the villagers think of him for abandoning the farm so soon? Instead of going to the village, he followed a path that had caught his interest on the day he arrived so he wouldn't have to find out. Soon he reached a beautiful spring and felt enchanted by its power. He sat down to relax, and quickly fell asleep. When he woke up, he was filled with worry. What if one of the villagers had visited his farm while he was gone? They'd assume he was just lazy. (What he didn't know was that he'd only been asleep for less than five minutes, but again, he didn't know.) The more he thought about it, the more he worried. Should he return to the farm? Or should he just stay there? By now the idea no one knew he was gone felt preposterous. Either that or he forgot that was possible in his worrying._

_Luckily, the spring was home to the Harvest Goddess. She couldn't let this boy worry like this, so she broke the rules and appeared to him. 'Why do you cry over nothing?' she asked. He looked up at her in surprise, and instantly remembered his father's stories about the beautiful goddess. 'The villagers do not know you are gone. They worry that you are working yourself too hard, and were thinking you should take a break anyway. Go to the town now to lift their worries while it is still light out. They will be glad, but you must not tell them of this meeting.' Before he could reply (or even remember he had a voice), she vanished. Unsure what he had seen was real, he decided to risk it anyway and went to the town like she suggested. There he found every word of it to be true, and was relieved the villagers didn't mind the break. When they asked why he'd decided to come, he remembered what the Harvest Goddess had said about their meeting, so he told them he was tired, which was half true._

_Later the Harvest Lord agreed that what the Harvest Goddess had done was right, but he decided not to allow the boy to see her again. After that day the boy visited the springs daily in hopes of seeing her again, to confirm what had happened was real. As time went by, he did not see her again, making him sad. Finally on the last day of fall, he left a flower to see if she would accept it. He left it there and returned the next day to find the Harvest Goddess had not touched it, as advised by the Harvest Lord. The boy was heartbroken and stopped coming. At first the Harvest Goddess didn't mind, thinking he needed some time, but soon she realized something: she loved him, ever since he'd first almost tripped walking off the boat._

_She went to the Harvest Lord about this right away. He told her to get over it and move on, but it was one of his failed suggestions. Finally he told the Harvest Goddess to take on the form of a human without wings or a glowing dress. In this form, she was allowed to see the boy. They got married (which the Harvest Lord allowed after reading the Celestial Beings Rule Book, which said every celestial being could make their own choices), and lived together happily without the boy knowing who she was. About one and a half years later they had twins—one boy and one girl—which terrified the Harvest Goddess. The boy still did not know she was the Harvest Goddess, and she could not care for them on her own. When the twins were one year old, she got up at dawn before her husband could wake up, kissed the twins on the cheeks, and left the house forever, thinking she would never see the twins again. But her husband woke up as she left and saw her change into the beautiful goddess he had seen when he'd first come to Moon Island, but said nothing as he watched her vanish, just like when they'd met."_

The elderly farmer closed the book and smiled at the little children who had been listening. "Well kids, did you like the story?" he asked. The children nodded with smiles. "Well, good, because it's time for you to go home. Now get out of my house!" Everyone giggled as he shooed them out the door, just like usual. An elderly man walked in after they'd left, smiling at him. "What brings you here, Ernie?"

"I passed your daughter on the way to the shop, Walter," Ernie began with a smile. "She's becoming a real beauty. The boys were all flocking around her, givin' her gifts. And then your son came to stop them with his new hammer." Walter had to smile at his friend's exaggerations.

"Ernie, are your eyes alright?" he asked. "'Cause I saw only saw one boy with Aura, and Flare was carrying a stick with a rock attached he'd gotten from a little kid." Ernie looked surprised.

"Uh, I guess I forgot my glasses again," he said in embarrassment. Walter just shook his head sadly as the door opened again, this time by a handsome boy. He had blue-green hair and orange eyes, with a rusty-red top to go with his brown shorts. "Oh, hello Flare, how are you?"

"Fine, Ernie," Flare laughed. "Aura's really busy with her job, Dad, so she might be late. I'm going to my room now." Night walked through another door to his bedroom, leaving Walter and Ernie alone. Suddenly the door opened again, this time by a girl who looked like Night, but with longer hair and purple eyes. She wore a loose-fitting pale violet t-shirt with short black leggings under it.

"Hi Dad," she giggled. "Sorry if I'm late, my job held me up again. Working at an animal ranch is so fulfilling…" A dreamy look entered her eyes until Ernie snapped his fingers. "Oh, uh, sorry about that. I better go to my room." Aura skipped off to her room, and this time they were sure no one else would in after they heard her door close.

"I wonder how they'll take the news," Walter muttered sadly. Ernie looked at him in shock.

"You still haven't told them!?" he cried in a loud whisper. Walter shook his head, and the two were quiet. "I can't believe you never told them about their mother, and you won't even tell them about, well, you know…"

"It's just too hard, Ernie. I have no idea how they'd react, and they even look like their mother now. Besides, I don't want them to make a big fuss over me just for no reason." He knew he was lying about the no reason part, but he didn't want show his concern.

"Look, they'll have to find out sooner or later." Ernie looked Walter in the eye sadly. "Years ago we were both so young and active. I remember how you had brown hair and bright green eyes, and I had red hair and blue eyes. Our eyes are still so vibrant, but our hair is turning grey now, whether we like it or not. But you have two beautiful kids, probably the best ones in the world if you ask me. They love you and need you in their lives, yet you're not telling them what they need to know." Walter smiled sadly at Ernie.

"I don't want them to worry, okay?" He walked to the window and looked at the setting sun. "If they knew, their new goal in life would be to make me happy, while they could be doing so much more. They're old enough to care for themselves." Ernie shook his head sadly and started out the door.

"You can't hide it from them forever," he muttered. He felt a lump in his throat as he recalled all the times they'd had together, and when they'd first met their wives. At the time they got married everything seemed perfect. But soon disaster struck for both of them; Walter's wife left, while his dear Della… "I don't want to go through the same thing twice. See you later." Then he left.

Later that night Flare noticed something odd. The kitchen was quiet, and this was the time when their dad usually made himself dinner. Aura usually would object and argue with him after hearing sounds from the kitchen, but there was nothing. He opened his door a crack and looked into the kitchen. "Dad, you okay?" he asked. There was no reply. "Dad?" Pushing the door open more, his eyes grew wide in horror. "Aura, get the doctor!" Aura ran out of her room to see what was going on, and screamed. In the middle of the floor, their father lay with his eyes closed.

Two hours later, the village's doctor saw his first emergency in years. "This is not good," the light-haired man told Flare. "Walter's disease must have gotten worse." Aura's face was pale as she kneeled by her father's bed, tears stinging her eyes. She hated crying so much, almost like it hurt her, but right now she couldn't help it.

"What disease?" she asked softly. The doctor looked at her in surprise.

"He didn't tell you?" he said in disbelief. "A few months ago, he came here with a weird rash. It was early signs of 'Black Moon Syndrome,' a fatal disease only diagnosed around these islands."

"How much time is left?" Flare looked at his father's pale face grimly. The doctor frowned and turned his head away from Flare, looking out the window.

"I don't think he'll make it through the night." The words came out quietly, but even Aura could hear them. He was going to die tonight.

"Dad, please, no," she whispered. "Not without mom." She got up and looked at them. "I'm going to pray to the Harvest Goddess." Aura was a strict follower of the Harvest Goddess since she was a child. The prayers only worked at the spring, but she didn't care. She left the room quietly, looking at Walter one last time. _Don't go while I'm away_, she silently pleaded.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Harvest Goddess

Chapter 2: Meeting the Harvest Goddess

The Harvest Goddess was very thoughtful lately. She'd heard of the Black Moon Syndrome from one of her Harvest Sprites, which felt very unusual. This illness was new to her, and when she talked to the Harvest Lord about it, he agreed it was new to him, too. So when Aura walked into the spring area, she felt relieved. Aura was a very pretty girl, and loved her so much. She'd just listen to her prayer to take her mind off of this weird new illness she'd learned about. Then she actually heard the prayer.

"Please help, Harvest Goddess," Aura said in a choked voice, "My dad is sick. We don't know what to do! He never even told us he had Black Moon Syndrome, and he's going to…" The girl stopped to sob, and almost one second later began to cry like she was a rain cloud. "Please, I'm scared he'll be gone before I return! Please help us!!" The Harvest Goddess was heart-broken at the girl's tears. So she bended the rules a little bit. When she was in the springs, she'd disguise herself by melting into a large stone in the center of the water. By the boulder's sides were seven flowers, each a different color of the rainbow. And the flowers were actually the Harvest Sprites in disguise, waiting for her order.

"Tell her to go home," she told her Harvest Sprites. "I've got to go somewhere." Before they had a chance to reply, she vanished. So the green Sprite, Leaf, was chosen to talk to Aura. (Actually, he lost the rock-paper-scissors tournament by being the only one to choose scissors while the others chose rock, but that's not the point.) So he transformed into his Sprite form before Aura's eyes and spoke to her calmly. Or at least, he tried to be calm, since he was copying the Harvest Goddess. After all, Sprites rarely spoke with mortals, and he needed a little practice.

"Just go home," he said. (Okay, he needed a _lot_ of practice.) Upon seeing the hurt look on Aura's face, he tried again. "What I meant is, uh, why do you cry over nothing?"

"Nothing!?" Aura cried angrily, glaring at the Sprite. "My dad is dying!" Leaf gulped. Maybe copying the Harvest Goddess wasn't such a good idea after all.

Meanwhile, the doctor lead Flare out of the room quietly. "You better get your sister," the doctor suggested grimly. Flare looked at him in surprise, recognizing the meaning of those words. As the two talked, they didn't notice a light appear by Walter's bed. It was a woman who seemed to be pure light. Slowly she bent down and kissed him on the cheek, resisting the urge to cry. "…And don't forget to brush your teeth, or the Tooth Sprite won't be able to harvest your teeth."

"That's just creepy," Flare muttered as the doctor left. But when he turned to his father's bed, he saw the woman and stared into her eyes. He blinked, but she was gone when he opened them again. "I'm officially going crazy," he murmured to himself as he walked over. Walter's face was paler than ever. The door quietly opened and shut as Aura came over. "Aura, I thought I saw a glowing woman by him a while ago. I think I'm going crazy."

"I saw a rude Harvest Sprite trying to convince me that he's nice," she sighed. "Maybe we're _both_ going crazy."

"No you're not." They turned to their father in shock. His eyes were open, staring at nothing, but he was speaking to them. "You two, I can't begin to explain it. Ernie was right, though. It's time for me to tell you about your mother." The two were shocked as he began his story.

_Years ago, my father was one of seven men who left Moon Island. They were all so excited to go to the city, any city, and escape the boring routine of the Island. While there, my father fell in love with my mother, so when most of the others left, he and one other stayed. I was only a child when a strange illness filled the city after a festival. Several died from it, my father included. My mother raised me alone with the help of the other man from Moon Island. As I grew up, I always remembered the stories of Moon Island my father told me, as it was all I could remember. So when the Island sent an invitation for my father to return to farm, I convinced my mother I could go in his place. It was a glorious time for me, even if I was a little crazy._

_And then, about one month later, I met your mother. She wasn't like the others, and helped me fit in with the islanders. The instant we met I knew she was the one, and we got married two years later. She loved me so much, as if she'd known me my whole life. Life was going perfect for us, and she had a magic touch with the crops and animals. When you two were born, I was happier than ever. But suddenly she seemed sad. Even though she tried not to show it, I still noticed but didn't say anything, thinking she'd just tell me when she was ready. And then, when you two turned one, she left. I remember that day fine, and watched her leave sadly._

"But in that story I told you about the story of the Harvest Goddess, I left out some details, so I should finish it first." Flare started to protest, but Aura quickly pinched his arm so he stopped.

_After the Harvest Goddess left, the farmer was saddened. He went to her spring and asked her to come out. She was surprised because he hadn't visited in years, but then realized he must have seen her leave. Reluctantly, the beautiful Goddess revealed herself to him. "Why did you leave us?" he asked sadly. "Things were going so well. You even have two beautiful twins, and all of a sudden you abandoned them. What am I supposed to tell them? Their mother left all because she is the Harvest Goddess?" The Harvest Goddess looked into his confused eyes tearfully._

"_I am sorry I left," she said. "But they have inherited my celestial being abilities. They are now half mortal and half immortal; it is hard to explain, as even I do not truly understand. I could not stay and raise them like normal children. Please do not blame them, though; it was my fault for loving you when it is nearly impossible to love a mortal when I can never die." Then she closed her eyes and kissed him on his cheek one last time before returning to the spring. As the children grew up, he never told them about their mother._

"What does a local legend have to do with our mom?" Flare asked in confusion.

"Because the farmer who married the Harvest Goddess was me," Walter stated simply. The twins looked at him in surprise and confusion. "I told Ernie because I didn't know what to do, and he suggested raising you like you were normal. Up until then I was afraid of you, but that man was very wise for his age." He chuckled softly. "Aura, the Harvest Sprite you saw was probably Leaf, who often copied the Harvest Goddess. He had to apologize a lot. Flare, you did see a glowing woman. That was your mother." Again, the two were speechless. "You both look more and more like your mother every day. You got your looks from her, not my side of the family. She disguised herself as a human with pale hair, so most villagers thought it was from _my_ mother." Suddenly he coughed, and Aura moved to help him, but he put up a hand to stop her. "It's my time to go, whether we like it or not."

"Dad, it's not over," Aura whispered. "Not now. We have so many questions."

"Go to the springs and ask your mother," Walter replied. "Chances are I won't know the answer to half of them anyway." He closed his eyes peacefully. "Goodbye. I'll always love you." With that, his body became limp and the twins were left staring at him. They didn't know it, but the last thing he thought of was the day before his wife, the Harvest Goddess, left. She was smiling and playing with the twins, practically glowing. Maybe she really was glowing.

Later that day, the bells of the church rang for the first time in years. People gathered around the church sadly as they mourned over the farmer's death. Even the cold-hearted Witch was there, but no one knew that. The only reason she had come was because she liked to see people mourn, and mock-mourn with them. Maybe she'd make people mourn at weddings, but there had not been a wedding in years.

"Walter was good," Mayor Thomodore began. (His name was a combination of Thomas and Theodore, but that's not the point.) Thomodore gave a long speech about Walter, also going off into the Tooth Sprite legend somehow, which naturally confused everyone but the doctor. When he finished the people resumed their mourning in peace, which the Witch liked.

Meanwhile, Flare walked to the spring alone. No one was there with him; Aura had stayed home to think over what had happened. When he was halfway there, though, he stopped. Ernie's house was next to him, and Ernie had known his father longer than he had. There was no sound from the house, only silence. Finally he walked up and knocked on the door. "Ernie?" he called softly, but there was no answer. Pushing the door open, he called again, "Ernie?" Flare had been inside the house many times, but a photo on the table caught his attention. _That's new,_ he thought as he walked over. In it was a beautiful woman with long black hair and large blue eyes, smiling at the camera pleasingly. Was that…?

"Hey, what're you doing!?" Flare spun around just in time to see Ernie snatch the photo from the table, frowning. "Leave it alone, you—" Only then did Ernie realize who the intruder was, and his face softened. "Oh, Flare, it's you. Sorry 'bout that. I'm guessing Walter told you about you mother…"

"Yeah," Flare replied quietly. After a moment of silence, Ernie pushed open the door.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" he demanded. "Go see her. She's probably really sad too…"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Flare muttered as he left. When the door closed, Ernie was left alone in his small shed he'd always considered a house. The room was mostly bare except for a small table, a bed, a telephone, a radio, and two chairs. Sadly he sat in one of the chairs and looked at the other one. It was always empty, and he liked it that way. But the empty chair was bitter-sweet.

"Well, Della," he murmured as he set the photo back, "I guess it's all up to those crazy kids to solve everything now. Tell Walter I said hi." Pausing, he added, "But don't get too crazy with him when you talk about it. I don't think I'll be joining you for a while anyway." He laughed as he realized he was talking to the photograph. Naturally his friends would make fun of him if they knew that, but it was worth it. Besides, things were lonely without his wife. Maybe Aura would move in and care for him? Yeah right, more wishful thinking. But having the Harvest Goddess' daughter would be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3: Harvest Sprite Drama

Chapter 3: Harvest Sprite Drama

Flare ran to the Harvest Goddess' spring. It was now his mission to go there, as instructed by an old man who talked to a photograph, but he didn't know _that_ part. When he was in sight of the spring, he stopped to take a breath. Aura came here so much, she knew what to do. But he wasn't too sure how to act. "Mom?" he asked nervously. "Mom, can you come out?" A Harvest Sprite came out and looked at Flare nervously. He was the Indigo Harvest Sprite, Rain.

"Why do you cry over nothing?" he asked. Flare instantly recognized the line from his father's story and frowned. "Your mom's not here, she's probably at your house cooking dinner, and—"

"I just found out my mom's the Harvest Goddess." Rain sweat-dropped and stared at Flare even more nervously.

"So you're sure your mom's not at your house?" Flare glowered at the poor Sprite, who then ran to the flowers. He selected the purple one and began tugging. "Ore, help me!" he cried as he yanked the flower out, which transformed into the purple Sprite. "The Harvest Goddess' son is here and he's glaring at me and I'm scared and—"

"Hello, stranger," Ore interrupted. "You say you're the Harvest Goddess' son?"

"Yeah, my dad just told me," Flare replied impatiently. "I'm here to talk to my mom."

"Why didn't your dad come?"

"He died," another voice said, and the yellow flower changed into the Yellow Sprite, Bolt. "You guys are worse than Sky!"

"Hey!" The blue flower changed into another Sprite, this time light blue. "That is not true!"

"Yeah!" The orange flower changed into the Orange Sprite Branch. "Leaf is much worse."

"No I'm not!" Leaf appeared again from his flower, glaring at them. "At least I _apologize_!"

"ENOUGH!" The Sprites jumped as the red flower changed into the red Sprite Ruby, the lone girl Harvest Sprite. "Will you all shut up!? You're scaring the poor guy!" They turned to look at Flare, who was slowly backing away. "That's it! Group apology in three, two, one…"

"We're sorry!" the Sprites chorused. "Please forgive us for our behavior." They looked at Flare expectantly.

"Um, ap-apology a-accepted," he stuttered, looking at them with big eyes.

"There, everything's better," Ruby said, immediately dropping her angry side and smiling. "But if you sissy Sprites ever do that again, you're all in big trouble." Branch, Bolt, Leaf, Rain, Sky, and Ore returned to their places and transformed into flowers again. "Sorry about them, they're not used to talking to anyone except each other or the Harvest Goddess. My name is Ruby, and I am the leader of the Seven Sprites. I lead them through everything." She smiled at Flare politely although he was still surprised. "You must be Flare, the Harvest Goddess' son. She talked about you and your sister a lot when she first returned."

"Yeah, look, about that," he managed to say, "My dad died, and he told us about the Harvest Goddess, mom, just today, and I want to see her." Ruby looked at him curiously. Her hair was a light green like the other Sprites, only longer, and her face had a feminine charm. Something about her just made him feel a little more peaceful.

"She's not here," she finally told him. "I think she went to mourn you dad's death." Flare nodded sadly and closed his eyes thoughtfully. "But you have the Harvest Lord's eyes, I think. Maybe you can help us out. The Harvest Lord only likes to see the Harvest Goddess, but she's too busy to go to him. Aura looks a lot like the Harvest Goddess, so if she can dress up like him, he might think it's her and come down." Flare was puzzled, though.

"Why do you want to talk to him?" he asked. Ruby hopped onto his shoulder and leaned over.

"The Harvest Sprites has been acting weird," she whispered. "I'm worried, but I can't check them over without the Harvest Goddess getting suspicious. I told her, but she's too busy to get him to come. It was her idea, so can you maybe get Aura to…?"

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee she'll do it," he sighed. Ruby smiled and went to her spot, waving at him as she returned to her flower form.

"You want me to WHAT!?" Aura was confused by the suggestion, and even Flare felt odd.

"I don't know what came over me," he admitted. "That Sprite has a way with words. Besides, it might get mom to come out." Aura sighed as she sat down.

"I don't like this game," she sobbed. "I want it to all stop!" That was her way of saying "No way you big fat idiot, I won't do it!" Flare stepped back, glancing around like someone could help. Dad would know what to do, but… "Look, I've got to go to work in the morning. Let's get some sleep, okay?" That was also her way of saying, "Stop talking to me about this or else," or "I'm meeting my best friend tomorrow at work so let's go to bed so it comes sooner." The look on her face confirmed she meant the first one, so Flare obediently went to bed.

While the stars were still high in the sky, the Harvest Sprites met to discuss everything. "Look, the Harvest Goddess is still gone!" Branch whispered with wide eyes.

"What do we do?" Sky shuddered in the spring night's cool air.

"We wait for her," Ruby ordered, and the Sprites nodded. She always knew what to do.

"Too bad you don't have time!" They all turned around to see where the new voice came from to see another Harvest Sprite. He had the same outfit as they did, only his was completely black. A chill ran down their spines as he spoke in that icy-cold voice again. "The name's Knight, and I'm here to replace you." He let out a blood-curdling laugh, and the Sprites shivered.

"What do you want?" Ruby stepped forward angrily, and Knight shook his head in mockingly.

"Why, weren't you listening? I'm here to replace you. The Harvest Goddess doesn't know our plan yet, but it's no big deal." He gave another evil laugh, and a dark mist started surrounding the Sprites. "Bye-bye!" The Sprites screamed as the mist consumed them, but no one could hear their cries. In their places were seven more Harvest Sprites, only they wore darker clothes. "No one will know the difference! Now, go to your spots before the Harvest Goddess returns!" The new Sprites did as they were told and became darker flowers. However, none of them noticed a pair of eyes watching them in horror…

"WAKE UP!" Aura and Flare jumped up the next morning as the door was slammed open by—of all people—the Witch.

"What do you want?" Aura asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"I was walking down by the spring last night," the Witch said in a hurried voice, "Planning to go to see how the Harvest Goddess was doing."

"Aren't you evil?" Flare looked at her curiously.

"Yes, but the Harvest Goddess helps me hide from the villagers unnoticed. Anyway, when I got there, I saw the seven Harvest Sprites talking when suddenly another Sprite appeared, wearing black clothes! Then a shadowy mist pulled them in and they were replaced by more Sprites, only their clothes were darker and they looked evil!"

"Why should we believe you?" Aura was now convinced the Witch was playing another joke.

"Oh, just watch!" She began to mutter something in an ancient language, and suddenly there was a bright flash and the room changed into the spring at night. The twins did not know how to react as they watched the Harvest Sprites be threatened by the new black one and were consumed by the mist. Then the mist faded away to reveal seven new Sprites, but with darker clothes. After the new Sprites changed to a flower form, the room returned to normal.

"The red Sprite's a girl," Flare said blankly. "But the new red Sprite's a boy."

"Look, I know you two are the Harvest Goddess' twins," the Witch snapped. "You need to warn her to not go back! Those new Sprites are up to no good!"

"But we don't know where she is," Aura countered.

"She's probably where she first met your father in her human form, by the forest shrine. I'd go warn her myself, but she might not believe me. But you two can't go there either, or let them know who you are!" Before they could react, she disappeared. Silence filled the room for a moment.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Flare muttered as they went to their rooms to change.


	4. Chapter 4: Escaping Reality

Chapter 4: Escaping Reality

The twins were surprised to see the Harvest Goddess right where the Witch said she'd be. And the Harvest Goddess was surprised to hear about what happened. "The Sprites were replaced by fakes?" she repeated, and they nodded breathlessly. "And you know who I am? Life has just been rushing along lately, hasn't it?" She closed her eyes thoughtfully, letting her children finally notice something other than her deep blue green eyes. Her skin was a pale color in her human form, almost the same shade of how it looked when it was glowing. Like their dad had said, her hair was also pale, though the shade was an almost white version of their hair. And the dress was almost a pale rainbow. Both knew that this wasn't her usual form, but it didn't matter. They now knew what their mother looked like.

"Yeah, but what do we do?" Aura asked. The Harvest Goddess looked at them thoughtfully. Her eyes made them feel like they were looking into eternity, which was true in a way.

"I'll see the Harvest Lord about this," she finally said. "You two just go along like everything's normal, but don't go to the spring, got it?" They nodded and the Goddess smiled. "I'll see you soon, I hope." With that, she began to shimmer and faded away before their eyes, leaving them staring at where she had stood.

"She's pretty," Flare commented with a dreamy smile. "No wonder dad liked her." Aura simply smacked his arm and headed off to work.

"Aura, you didn't have to come to work today." Aura rolled her eyes at her friend Seni and smiled. Seni was an average-looking girl, with cropped brown hair and blue eyes. No one could tell from looking at her that she was Ernie's niece, but it didn't really matter. Today she wore her pale yellow t-shirt with a navy-blue vest and a red skirt over brown pants and sandals. While she looked average with her face and hair, she always wore an outfit that popped.

"I wanted to," Aura replied quietly. "Just because dad's dead doesn't mean I can lay off my work." Seni shook her head sadly.

"I think I know what's going on," she said, and Aura was surprised. It was impossible for Seni to know what was going on, so she must have some kind of theory. "You're trying to get your mind off of your dad by working." _Well, she was half right,_ Aura thought as she nodded. "Here, I'll help you out today. I wonder what your brother will do, though…"

"You still have a crush on him?" Aura squealed, and Seni nodded shyly. Usually at this point they'd torture each other over it, but this time… "Oh well." Now Seni looked at her in horror.

"Are you sure you're okay!?" she cried, and Aura laughed. But it was a good question. And so was what Flare was going to do.

Flare had everything under control at the farm. He watered the plants, fed the animals, chased the bugs away, caught some fish for lunch, milked the cows, sheered one of the sheep, collected eggs, and even harvested the plants that was ready to be harvested early. Then there was nothing to do. "I'm so bored," he muttered as he fished through couch cushions for something. "And it's not even lunch!" By now he didn't care what was in the cushions; he was just bored and wanted _some_thing to do. There was a knock at the door so he went to answer it. "Art?"

"Hi, Flare!" Art answered. Art was a nickname for "Arthur", but it did suit the boy. He had dark messy hair that was either black or brown (by now Art had lost track), dark brown eyes and tan skin that was natural. His hobby was anything artistic, which was why he and Flare were best friends. After all, his definition of "artistic" was very loose and could mean going hiking (the art of body, as he called it) or farming (the art of life). Flare was filled with relief upon seeing him at his door. "I'm going to the beach, want to come?"

"Yeah!" Flare cried almost instantly. "I'm so bored right now!" Art always showed up at the right time, and this was no exception. The two ran to the beach, forgetting their worries. Aura didn't get why they were friends. Art was, well, artistic, and Flare was always so hyper. Now he knew he got it from the Harvest Goddess (in some of the legends, she was pretty impatient and active), but he couldn't tell Art. Instead he said, "What do we do first?"

"Flirt with the babes," Art laughed. That day he wore a neon green shirt and cutoff jeans with black sandals, a personal favorite outfit of his. Flare just looked at himself in his bright red-orange t-shirt and jeans and sandals, but smiled. Oh well.

The Harvest Lord had his eyes closed as the Harvest Goddess waited. She'd just told him the story, and now he was using his powers to see if it was true. "Yes, the Red Harvest Sprite is now a boy," he murmured. "It seems the story is true." The two celestial beings were silent for a moment as they pondered over this. "We'll send your children to find our essences in other lands to see if this is happening elsewhere." The Harvest Goddess looked at him in surprise and horror.

"But they're so young!" she argued. "Such a journey will take a long time, and they'll miss their friends and get homesick! I can't let them go alone." The Harvest Lord sighed. Despite what many humans believed, there were only one Harvest Goddess and Harvest Lord. The others were pieces of their essences sent to protect more places that needed them. But they had no direct link to these essences other than Harvest Sprites, and right now they couldn't trust the Sprites.

"We have no other choice." He said it like a demand, but then he saw her eyes. The Harvest Goddess had mastered the sad eye trick, and he couldn't stand that. "But we can work out details later. Right now we need time to think." Her sad eyes melted away, though she was still unsatisfied, but for then it would have to do.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Darkness surrounded the frightened Harvest Sprites. They were in some other dimension being guarded by more Sprites that wore black. They'd been separated and placed into small cells that were dark and prisonlike, something they'd never imagine could happen. While she was scared of this dark world, Ruby tried to be brave for the sake of the others. Becoming one of the Goddess' _special_ Harvest Sprites had required training. Each Sprite would follow a human of their choice for one year, and would act like that human for one season. Depending on the human chosen, the Sprite's future personality would reflect the human, even if they were rejected. Ruby had followed a girl around who could be brave and kind at the same time; the result made her the perfect leader for the Seven Sprites. Only a few girl Harvest Sprites existed, and most had minor positions. But she'd gone to the top; she was special. So hearing the Black Sprites talk about her like she was inferior infuriated her. At this point she'd usually do something to prove she was their equal, if not better; but not this time. "Hey girly, want to go home?" a Black Sprite teased.

Ruby was tempted to shout, "You are so stupid!" and slap him, but not this time. Instead she said in a cute voice, "Yes, but the Sprites there are so boring and safe. Here, you're all exciting and dangerous! I like that." The Black Sprite was surprised, and blushed. "Too bad I'm locked up in a small cell. I don't really mind the darkness, but I can hardly move around. Otherwise I'd be so much happier. I don't really like light anyway. That's why my flower was always in the shade."

"Well, I could move you to a bigger cell…" The line was instant relief to her. Almost every word had been false, mostly because she used her cute voice, which she hated. The Black Sprite pulled out a keychain and began flipping through keys until he found the one for her cell. He cautiously looked around to see if anyone was watching before unlocking the cell, and Ruby stepped out.

"Oh, thank you so, so much," she told him in that disgusting cute voice. "By the way, before I forget…" Within one second she had him up against the wall with his hands behind his back. "I lied." The Sprite's eyes were filled with horror as he realized he'd been outsmarted, and Ruby was enjoying every minute of it. It wasn't normal for a Sprite to like being bad, but this was an exception. "Humans call me Ruby out of respect. But my Sprite name is Chalara, which means 'brave warrior'. You, mister, are weak!" She dug her nails into the evil Black Sprite and covered his mouth with the other hand to prevent him from screaming. Blood covered her fingers, and she shuddered; she wasn't used to blood on anyone, let alone on her hands. By now the Black Sprite was starting to faint. _Well, I guess he's not used to blood either,_ she thought.

As the horrid Sprite fainted, she caught his body and gently set it on the ground to prevent a loud thump. Then she began to run down the hall. No one was there yet, but someone would come soon; she didn't have time to free the others. Again she glanced at her hand and frowned. Blood was so unnatural to her. She had to get rid of it somehow, or else she'd be dirty and impure. The blood of a fellow Sprite was impure, but then again, he wasn't "a fellow" Sprite. Suddenly she stopped and crouched down behind the corner of a wall. Carefully she looked out to watch two more Black Sprites stand by a portal. She barely recognized the portal from the night before, when they'd been brought here. It was a link to their world, and it had light. If she timed it just right, she'd be able to cross before being noticed. But then she saw him: Knight.

"Look boys, let's get this straight," he muttered. The three Black Sprites began to walk away from the portal, leaving it unguarded. Ruby wanted to hear the plan, but the portal had her home in plain sight. She couldn't just stand there; she might not get another chance. It was now or never, and she wanted to get home. As soon as the group was out of her sight, she dashed to the portal and went straight through it. For a moment there was a bright flash, but then everything was clear. The trees, the rock, the spring… She was home!

That was when she noticed the seven new flowers. Within a moment she ran away faster than her legs had ever gone, away from the portal. Her magic was too weak to use now. But where could she go now? Then she saw Ernie's shack, which she'd usually ignore, and fled into it. Ernie was gone at the time, which was good. She was free of danger for the time, so she climbed onto the table to look around for a future hiding spot. At last she settled on the old, dusty cupboard, and went over. At the bottom was a hole that she could fit through, so she could get in and out easily, which would be useful when it was time to hide. She quickly slipped inside to find the small area perfect to stay in for a while. Luckily Sprites weren't that big, and this was larger than the cell. It even had an old pillow she could use as a bed instead of the floor.

Ruby ran out and climbed back onto the table. Right now she was looking for food. She smelled crops outside, probably on the neighboring farm. She decided to get some later when she was really hungry, so she could rest. Then she looked at her hand and shuddered again. It still hadn't been cleaned of blood, which was still fresh. Finally she saw no choice but to rub it on the only cloth she had: her shirt. At first the blood stood out as she rubbed her small, delicate hand on the fabric, but soon it blended in with the red color. It horrified her to think of the similarity in color.

Now the red in her outfit wasn't just dye.


	5. Chapter 5: The Journey Begins

Note: This is the end of Part 1, but all the parts are NOT this short. I merely made it this short so you can get an idea of what will happen.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Journey Begins

Ruby had adjusted quickly; it was one of her talents. The pillow was big, and Ernie never looked in the cupboard anyway. She hated living like a rat, but it would have to do for the time. Days seemed to pass by swiftly, and by day three of being a "Wild Sprite" she'd think three _weeks_ had gone by if it wasn't for the calendar on the wall. While there she observed Ernie closely. It was a lonely experience for them; the only really interesting event was when Seni came by one day. On the fourth day she felt strong enough to go find the Harvest Goddess or Harvest Lord or someone to help out. So when Ernie left the house, she quietly sneaked out and into the real world.

"Nothing from the Harvest Goddess," Aura sighed as she and Flare ate lunch. They weren't used to calling her "mom" yet, and chose to stay to the farm today. Seni had been nagging her all week to take a break, so she'd better not complain about this.

"I know, you think she's alright?" Flare asked as he used his chopsticks to pick up two noodles from his soup. Before Aura could reply, they both heard something from around the animals and got up. Within moments they dashed to the animals to find what they'd heard. A loud roar filled the air and they found that the bull had beaten them.

"Gah! Stop!" Ruby cried in an exasperated voice as the bull pinned her to the wall with its horns.

"RUBY!?" Flare's mouth dropped wide open, while Aura—who hadn't met the female Sprite—looked confused.

"Help!! Make it stop!!" the Sprite cried again as the bull began to push harder. Aura was the first to respond by quickly grabbing the bull by its horns and whistled loudly. Instantly the bull became calmer and stepped back, releasing the Sprite from the wall. "Thank you so much, I never knew bulls could be so aggressive…"

"How do we know you're the real Ruby?" Flare asked testily.

"Leaf can't talk to humans, Rain didn't know what to say, Ore asked you the same question as Rain, Bolt called them worse than Sky, Sky doesn't think that, Branch stood up for him by saying Leaf was worse, and then I had to make them apologize."

"Ruby, it's you!" Flare laughed as he hugged the Sprite.

"Uh, what's going on?" Aura demanded, and the two quickly explained. "Oh, thanks. So Ruby, why are you here and not with the Harvest Goddess?"

"I don't know where she is." Ruby blushed nervously as she said this, making the twins irritated enough to make her panic. "Look, I tried to find her, and—" Suddenly they were consumed by a bright light, and found themselves face-to-face with the Harvest Lord…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Okay, that was freaky," Aura muttered later as she packed up. The entire meeting had gone by in a confusing exchange of words. They would set out to find the essences of the Celestial Beings in other villages, warn all Sprites, and then do who-knows-what along the way. The ship they'd use was already chosen by the Harvest Lord, and he said they should leave in the next two days or so. He also said not to tell the Harvest Goddess or else the plan would be ruined. Then he noticed Ruby and told her to stay and chat with him. Before Aura or Flare could say anything they were back home in their rooms with suitcases to pack. All their clothes were scattered through the house's rooms, including the ones they were wearing to bed the night before.

"My head hurts so much," Flare announced as he stood in the doorway of Aura's room holding her black swimsuit top covered in pink and blue hearts. Aura blushed as she snatched it from him and thrust it into her suitcase. "My swim shorts might be in your room, too…"

"Don't remind me," she replied as she carefully handed him the red, gold and blue striped shorts to him. "At least our underwear is still in its rightful place…" Flare nodded as he walked out, but they checked their drawers again anyway to be safe. After a few more trips between rooms to exchange clothing (and at one point Flare's embarrassing blue bathrobe with sailboats printed on it), they were finally ready to go. Flare closed the suitcase flap with a sharp click and walked into the den where Aura was waiting.

"Now who will watch the farm?" he muttered. In answer to his own question, he looked at her and said in an obvious tone, "Art and Seni. Now how do we ask them to do that?"

"Tell them the truth?" Aura joked, but Flare got a fiery look in his already fiery-colored eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea. Let's just tell them we're going on business."

"Fine," Flare mumbled, "But I think it sounds boring."

"You're going away for a while?" Seni asked, tilting her head. She sat on the grass next to Art, listening to the twins' story. (They'd decided to tell them they were going to explore the world to learn more about farming and ways to improve Moon Island.) "Do you know how long?"

"No," Aura replied, biting her lip. Art was now looking at them curiously, but finally shrugged.

"Maybe I can find a purpose in life on the farm," he offered. Art had wandered into Tide Town when he was about 15, having no idea who he was or where he was from. All he could remember was that he'd run away from home after an argument with his parents. Now he was 20, only two years older than Flare, but they were fast friends.

"Yeah, maybe," Flare said encouragingly. "But look, we have no idea how long we'll be gone. If you two can take care of the farm while we're gone, we'd owe you guys."

"We'll write every month," Aura added, looking at Seni. Finally Seni sighed and nodded, and Aura hugged her before without thinking. "Thank you so much!"

"Can't breathe!" Seni gasped, and Aura loosened her grip. Art stared at Aura in surprise, but just shrugged again as he got up to leave, followed by Seni. The arrangements were ready.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The next day, the twins got ready to depart. There were many showers since they didn't know when they'd get the chance again, and arrangements were made to care for the farm. Bags were packed with more items, and they became restless. Aura was given the task of navigation, and Flare became supervisor, which meant carrying around a schedule and a list of goals to complete. They'd worked together on the list, and were proud of it.

Overall, the schedule called for at least two seasons scheduled to be spent in each of the five destinations: Waffle Town, Mineral Town, Forget-Me-Not Valley, Flower Bud Village, and Sunny Island. All of them were near the area thankfully, so reaching them by boat would be rather simple. The only problem left was where to go first. They decided on either Sunny Island or Mineral Town, which had a beach to land on. From Mineral Town they'd either go to Forget-Me-Not Valley or Flower Bud Village, and then the other one. If they went to Sunny Island, they'd do Waffle Town next, and help out people along the way. The plan was all worked out by sunset that day.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The Harvest Goddess was horrified when she was told what her children were doing. "You sent them on a journey!?" she shouted at the Harvest Lord. "They're only eighteen, yet you tell them to go to far away lands!?" Ruby stepped back into the shadows, watching them with wide eyes. It had been a day since she'd spoken to the Harvest Lord about what she had seen, and only now did he tell the Harvest Goddess about it.

"It's too late to stop them now," the Harvest Lord replied. "They must save the Harvest Sprites whether you like it or not." The Harvest Goddess looked at him with tears of anger in her eyes, angry he'd do such a thing without consulting her first!

"I'm sorry," Ruby said from the shadows, even though she knew they couldn't hear her.

"You have no idea how to raise children," she snapped, and quickly vanished before he could reply. Ruby stepped farther back into the shadows as the Harvest Lord stared blankly at where the Goddess. Nothing good was happening anymore.

"Aura, Flare, you two better know what you're doing," she whispered fearfully. Then she sighed and ran to a hollow log by the Harvest Lord's throne, disappearing through a hole barely big enough for a Sprite to fit through. The Harvest Lord knew the Sprites often went in there, but he never knew what was in it. As he watched the Red Sprite reach back out to yank a large leaf off a fern by the entrance and pull it in, he had to wonder what was inside. It kept his mind off of the guilt he'd received from the Harvest Goddess.

Seni and Art stood on the dock waving at the boat going over the distance. Aura and Flare were far away already; they could barely see the boat. No one knew of the departure yet. Flare had no job to worry about, and Aura usually worked as hard as Seni, so she'd be able to cover it. Where they were going seemed like a mystery, but why did it matter? The twins were leaving the island for the first time ever. From the stories they'd heard, their father never left to see his family since he first came; maybe that was where they were going. As the ship sailed further out of sight, they continued waving, even when they couldn't see it anymore. They didn't know it, but two other pairs of eyes were watching, too…

_**End of Part 1**_


	6. Chapter 6: A Seasick Arrival

Okay, I know what you'll think: "OMG YOU FELL FOR KAI!?" Well, in reality I fell for Cliff. (So cute, so shy...) I just had to do someone who could "easily" steal Aura's heart. Besides, she might fall for Dennis back at Sunny Island now. (Hey, another Purple Bandanna Guy? Yay!)

* * *

Part 2: Mineral Town

Chapter 6: A Seasick Arrival

Aura felt like throwing up halfway to Mineral Town. This was the first time she or Flare had ever been on a boat, so she had no way of knowing she could get seasick. Naturally the captain of the boat, a tall man with dark blue hair, knew what to do. "Lean over the railing," he told her upon seeing her green-tinted face, "And throw up if you need to."

"Thanks," Aura responded before running over and doing exactly as he said. Flare sighed at her actions, but the captain merely laughed. "Obviously you two have never been on a ship before. It wouldn't surprise me if she had never been on a rowboat!"

"Good point," Flare sighed, trying to smile at the captain. But it wasn't easy when there were others on the ferry to see Aura throw up. "By the way, you still haven't told us your name, and we've told you ours."

"Well, I don't really have a reason to," he laughed. "Oh, looks like we're almost there!" Aura looked up at this and gasped. Before them was a large slit of land, larger than just the average island in the area, looming in the distance. "Big, isn't it? The shore we're headed for is Mineral Town, and it leads to the rest of the mainland. From what I understand, you'll have to get on a ship later if you want to go to the islands, though. Got it?"

"Got it," Aura said weakly, still feeling woozy from seasickness. She had never expected herself, a half-mortal half-immortal, to fall to something like this. At least, not since she'd learned she was the daughter of the Harvest Goddess, her heroine. Trying to ignore her queasy stomach, she looked at the slit of land as it loomed closer and closer. A beach began to come into sight; two small buildings were on it, and it looked very nice to her. Then her stomach won the battle and she had to lean over the railing again.

"Uh, is there any other way to travel besides boat?" Flare asked nervously, and the man laughed.

"Yes, by horse!" the captain chuckled. "But when it's time to leave the mainland, you'll have to go on my boat again. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Flare said, trying to smile at him. Suddenly the captain's face became grim.

"Wait a minute, that's not right," he muttered. Aura glanced up at him in surprise.

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying her best not to lean over again.

"There's a ship in the dock," he muttered, eyeing a large white ship. "My ferry's the only boat that's supposed to arrive today. Someone has to row ashore in a smaller boat to find out what's going on. I'd go, but I can't leave the ship alone with all these people. You guys up to it?" Aura leaned over the railing in response. "I'll take that as a yes!"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Having dropped the anchor, the captain had lowered the lifeboat with Aura and Flare in it to row ashore and find out what was going on. Almost instantly Aura felt and looked better. "I guess it was just the other ship," she muttered, though she didn't understand the difference. Flare sighed with relief.

"And I thought I'd have to do all the rowing!" he laughed as they began to row. The trip only took a few minutes, and they reached shore right as a man ran over.

"Hey, you guys from the ferry?" he asked. His skin was tan, probably from working in the sun often, and he had brown hair that stuck up in a choppy manner. Flare was surprised by how strong his arms looked, guessing he could only fit them through the dark gray tank top he was wearing; on the other hand, his legs didn't look as strong in the bright blue pants, and his feet were rather small.

"Um, yeah," Flare stuttered after the initial shock. "Who are you?"

"I'm Zach," he replied. "Sorry about that boat. Someone docked it here a while ago, and we have no idea who it was or how long it'll be before they get back. It's already been two days." At this moment Aura hopped out of the boat impatiently.

"Be right back!" she called as she sprinted towards the dock. A few moments later she returned with a flustered expression on her face. "You do know there's a key in the boat, right? And that the name is '_SS Gourmet_' and there's about two hundred pounds of food in it?" The man's face turned red as he dashed towards the boat.

"It's Gourmet's alright!" he called back. "I'll move it out so the ferry can come in." At that, he turned the key and moved the ship out, allowing the ferry to pull in and let the other passenger off, a boy with tan skin and a purple bandanna on his head. Then one of the crew members ran over, hopped into the rowboat, and rowed it back to the ship to be raised back up. The captain tipped his hat at the twins from aboard the ship as he sailed away, leaving them speechless as the other boat pulled back in and docked. The man ran over to them breathlessly, smiling. "He's not one to talk much."

"Afraid not, Zack!" the boy who'd also rode the ferry laughed, walking over to the group. Right away he smiled at Aura, and she blushed at the Purple Bandanna Guy, as she called him in her mind. "I'll take it you are staying here for a while too."

"Well, yes, we are," Aura responded. "My name is Aura, and that is my brother Flare. We're from Moon Island." Zack groaned and glanced at Flare.

"He's already pulled her in," he muttered so the two couldn't hear. He then raised his voice, looking at them. "Why don't you head to town and get settled?" he suggested. "The best place to go is Doug's Inn since it's also the only place. I'm sure they can make room for you there!"

"Thanks," Flare sighed, and began to go. He paused as Aura kept staring at the deeply tanned boy, then grabbed her shirt to drag her away. "You two can talk later after we get unpacked and have somewhere to stay for a while." As the twins went out of sight, Zack and the Purple Bandanna Guy were quiet for a moment.

"What are you doing here anyway, Kai?" Zack asked. "Summer hasn't started yet. It's only Spring 13."

"I know, but the ferry service is apparently stopping for a while," Kai sighed. "If I didn't come today, I wouldn't have a chance until Summer 13." He frowned at this, but then smiled. "I think I have a real shot with Aura, though!" Zack smacked him in the back of his head.

"She's just visiting for a while!" he groaned. "She'll probably stay for a season and then leave, and you'll never see her again." Kai turned to Zack and smiled, which he did not expect.

"Then I better make the best of my time with her!" he answered and went inside the Snack Shack settled on the beach, leaving behind a dumbfounded Zack.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

At Doug's Inn, Aura and Flare were regarded with pleasure by the brown-haired man, Doug, and his daughter Ann. "Well, you two must be tired!" Ann cried. "You need rooms! Can you pay? Oh like it matters! You can work off your debts! Ooh, can I help you carry your bags? I'll show you your rooms!" The hyper girl bolted up the stairs with their bags before they could say anything, and Doug sighed.

"Sorry about that," he said apologetically, "That girl doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'calm' sometimes." Pausing, he added, "Well, all the time is more correct, I suppose."

"It's alright," Aura managed to stutter, still recovering from the flurry of words. "Well, I guess we should follow her to our rooms." Flare nodded blankly as the two slowly climbed the stairs, tired from the day's events. It was now almost sunset, and so far they'd met the Purple Bandanna Guy and Zack, discovered Aura was able to get seasick, and were now following the most hyper girl they'd ever met to their rooms. So far they had completed one goal from their Mineral Town Goal List: find somewhere to stay. But for Aura, she had completed one of her own goals: find love, even if she didn't know his real name.

"Well, this is going to be an interesting stay," Flare muttered to Aura as Ann began chattering to them again after reaching an empty room with their bags.

"Where are you from? What's it like there? Why are you here? Do you have any friends here? Or are you visiting family? Or you wanna get away from something? Ooh, did you run away from home? That would be so cool if you are! And—"

"We're here on vacation!" Flare managed to sputter out as she took a breath from talking so fast.

"Oh, okay," she said, slightly disappointed it wasn't something very exciting. The girl sadly walked out, her braid hanging down as if it were sad too.

"Well, she seems nice," Aura giggled, making Flare groan.

"Looks like we're going to have a rather interesting time at Mineral Town," he muttered, closing the door to his room so he could unpack. Aura rolled her eyes and entered her own room. So far, it was already interesting. She had met a cute guy after only one hour on the shores! And when it came to her, it was nearly impossible to steal her heart.


End file.
